Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

13 reviews

brookey8888's review

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was fun and different! 

I’ve never really read anything like this plot with the changing how people look and the power it might bring. This starts off kind of slow but after like 150ish pages o was entertained and wanted to know where the plot was going. I liked the main character even though she annoyed me at times. There’s a slight romance in this which was fine, but I’m hoping there’s a bodyguard romance in the next book, but I’m sure I’m wrong. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Violence, Bullying, Lesbophobia, Torture, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Blood, Body shaming, Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Classism

goldenwing's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Beautiful descriptive language created a vivid world and the world building was so interesting. The pacing felt a bit rushed towards the end and I was a little bit frustrated by some of the characters choices in the ending chapters (although it's a refreshing thing to have flawed characters at least) but on the whole I really enjoyed it and would definitely read the next in the series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Blood, Murder, and Bullying

Minor: Animal cruelty, Body horror, and Animal death

cdoubet's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexual harassment, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Body horror, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Torture, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Minor: Death and Fire/Fire injury

susicorn's review

adventurous inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming

Moderate: Bullying, Physical abuse, and Murder

Minor: Sexual assault

coymeld's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Bullying, Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Rape, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

kassidyreads's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Death, and Torture

Minor: Death of parent, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

notsobinaryart's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Classism, Medical trauma, Bullying, Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Violence, Death, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Sexual assault, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Outing

dustghosts's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

+ An engaging, mysterious, thrilling read that feels just right for the age the series is geared towards
+ Through the narrator and her sisters’ POV, a refreshing celebration of diverse forms and interpretations of beauty 
+ Representation/inclusion that feels natural and casual, only occasionally heavy-handed
+ Visceral and gripping descriptions, dialogue that feels True, a protag who is naive, charming, and morally challenged time and again.

- Pacing can be a bit strange— slow and meandering at the beginning, too fast near the end. Some of the protagonists largest concerns feel underaddressed as a result, and some situations (ie: her being

sent to the tea house at the beginning

) begin to feel too convenient to the plot progression.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Animal cruelty, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent, Body shaming, Torture, Toxic friendship, Murder, Physical abuse, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Minor: Fatphobia

ashleereadsbooks692's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

lagiven's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The prose of this book is the best part because it creates the perfect atmosphere for its world and parallels the obscene opulence that centers the Belles. At times, the writing is juxtaposed against horrifying scenes that make this book so fascinating and so disturbing. Most of the characters are solid although some are flatter, and the plot really picks up in the last third of the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Body shaming

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Slavery